The Guy
by LMXB
Summary: When Lorne and Jennifer find themselves being offered as human sacrifices after Rodney upsets a village, the Major tries to find out who Jennifer is interested in if not Ronon.


**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the characters. No profit is made from this.

**AN:** This is set after The Lost Tribe

* * *

Jennifer felt cold and wet. But she didn't know why. She was meant to be treating villagers for a simple virus. Treating them in a small hut with a log fire, a warm log fire. Instead she felt cold and wet, like she was taking a really cold shower.

She was also aware that her forehead pounded and her arms hurt and felt like they were pinned down. On top of that there was a voice that wouldn't stop calling. Groaning she tried to focus on the voice whilst opening her eyes.

"Doc? You okay?"

"What happened? Where's the log fire?" She asked groggily.

"Doc, wake up. I need you to open your eyes."

"They're open, but it's dark. Where are you?" She asked, beginning to feel like the fog of confusion was lifting.

"Tied to the other side of this pole." Lorne replied.

"Pole? Tied?"

"Doc. Focus." Lorne ordered forcibly. "Are you hurt?"

"No. I'm cold. Are you hurt?" She asked, guessing Lorne must have a reason for asking.

"No, just angry. Can you get out of the ropes?"

"What happened? Why are we tied to a pole?" Jennifer asked as she tried to work the wet ropes. As she worked the ropes she vaguely remembered a horde of angry villagers surrounding them and there being a fight during which she had been hit.

"We're a sacrifice."

"What?" Jennifer asked, suddenly feeling more awake.

"According to the locals when McKay went into the temple he upset the gods who have punished the village with non stop rain, floods and storms since McKay left. To appease the gods they need to make a human sacrifice, by tying those responsible to a post and allowing some sort of beast to eat them."

"We are going to be eaten alive?" Jennifer asked as fear washed over her.

"Not sure we'll have to worry about being eaten alive." Lorne said. "Seeing how we are tied to a really big metal pole and there is an electrical storm moving this way, we'll be fried long before the beasts get here."

"That doesn't make me feel any better." Jennifer said as she continued to strain against the ropes, the skin on her arms becoming raw.

"Sorry doc. Any luck with the ropes?"

"I can wiggle my hand."

"Think you can wiggle it this way?"

"Why?"

"I have a knife strapped to my back, but I can't get to it."

"Hang on." Jennifer said as she stretched her hand backward, round the pole towards Lorne's back. However she could only stretch it half way round the pole. After several minutes of stretching and wriggling she sighed and said, "I can't reach you."

"I swear I am going to kill McKay if we get out of this." Lorne shouted in frustration before more calmly adding. "Sorry."

"Why are you apologising?" Jennifer called back over her shoulder.

"I just said I would kill your boyfriend."

"Boyfriend? Rodney?" Jennifer asked confused.

"You're not seeing him?"

"No."

"Oh. Then who's the guy?"

"What guy?" The doctor asked as the rain continued to lash down.

"The guy who has caused me three bruised ribs and fifteen stiches." Lorne clarified.

"Wait, someone has attacked you? Who? I thought you said those wounds were from sparring."

"They were." Lorne said.

"Then you know who hit you. You said it was Ronon."

"It was."

"So what guy are you talking about and what has that got to do with Ronon and sparring and getting hurt?"

"You told Ronon you were interested in someone else, which caused him to get grumpy and take his mood out on, among others, me."

"I'm sorry." Jennifer apologised feeling guilty. "Wait he told you?"

"No, he told Sheppard, I just happened to be in the same room. But seeing how I got the crap beaten out of me because of this guy I thought I deserve to know who he is."

"Why do you want to know?"

"Curiosity. Plus I need to make sure he is suitable for you and treating you right."

"There is no need to worry." Jennifer said as the area was lit up by a brilliant flash of lightning. The rumble of thunder following closely behind.

"I will be the judge of that. So who is he and why haven't I seen you with him? Are you ashamed of him?"

"No, I'm not ashamed of him."

"So why haven't I seen you with him?" Lorne pressed. For a long time the only response he got was the beating of rain and the howling wind. Eventually Jennifer said, her voice only just audible over the wind.

"Because he doesn't know."

"Why not?"

"I don't know how to tell him. Besides I don't think he's interested, I'm not sure I'm his type."

"Then he's an idiot." Lorne said before asking. "Who is he?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Lorne asked.

"It doesn't matter now anyway."

"So tell me." Lorne said.

"No."

"Are you embarrassed?" Lorne asked as forked lightning split the sky.

"Yeah."

"Is it Zelenka?"

"No."

"Woolsey?"

"No."

"So nothing to be embarrassed about. Who is he?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"Well, seeing how that lightning is nearly here, we are about to die. And I would like to die with a clear mind, not a mind wondering who the guy is." The Major said as another flash lit the sky, this time the thunder was a second behind. But quickly following the thunder was another sound.

"What was that?" Jennifer asked.

"The growling?" Lorne replied.

"Yeah." Jennifer said as she tried to look through the darkness.

"Maybe I was wrong about being cooked first." Lorne conceded.

"It's you." Jennifer said.

"What?" Lorne asked confused as he tried to see the beasts.

"You're the guy." Jennifer called just as more lightning illuminated the surroundings, this flash revealing one of the creatures moments before it lunged at the doctor.

The next few seconds seemed to happen in slow motion for Lorne. He heard Jennifer scream in fear and pain, he heard his voice scream her name, he heard weapons fire from behind, then there was silence.

"Jennifer!" He shouted trying to look round and free himself from the bonds.

"Take it easy Major." John said. "We'll get you out of here."

"Jennifer?" He asked straining to see her.

"She's okay." John said from behind the Major.

"Are you hurt?" Teyla asked appearing in front of Lorne as she cut the ropes.

"I'm fine." He assured her, growing frustrated at how long it was taking to free him. As soon as he was free he spun away from the pole and looked down at Jennifer who John was patching up.

"Ready?" The Colonel asked.

"Yes." Teyla confirmed.

"Apollo, this is Sheppard. We are ready for transport to the infirmary."

As they arrived in the infirmary Lorne found the brightness too much and had to squint. But even through half closed eyes his stomach churned when he saw the blood on Jennifer's uniform as the doctor was moved away by the infirmary staff.

"You said she was okay." Lorne said to Sheppard, his voice angry.

"She will be. What happened out there?" John asked, surprised that his mild mannered second in command was showing so much emotion.

"What happened? Thanks to McKay we were put up as a human sacrifice."

"This isn't entirely my fault." The physicist said.

"You did press that button." John said.

"Fine, but I discovered what that button did. We only came here because of that."

"If you hadn't pressed that button we wouldn't have needed to come." Ronon pointed out.

"Lorne, go get into something warm and dry. That's an order."

"Yes Sir." The Major said reluctantly glaring once more at McKay before storming out of the infirmary.

"This is not my fault." Rodney protested. Seeing the rest of his team stare at him in disbelief he conceded. "Okay, maybe it is a little my fault, but we came here because of me. I saved the day."

"Rodney, go get into something dry and stay out of Lorne's way." John said. "Same goes for you two." He added looking at Teyla and Ronon. "Except the Lorne part."

"What about you?" Ronon asked.

"I'll wait until the doctor comes back. Go." He added.

-00-

When the doctor finally came over John was feeling worried. Immediately jumping off the chair he asked.

"How is she?"

"She'll be fine. She has a nasty bruise on her face and needed stitches for a wound above her eye. She had some deep scratches across her abdomen, which we have cleaned up. She also has a nasty bump on the back of her head. We'll keep her in here until we can rule out concussion. I have also taken some blood samples and we'll make sure the scratches haven't caused complications. You can see her if you want."

"Thanks." John said before walking over to Jennifer.

"Hey doc. How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay." Jennifer said smiling nervously. "What happened? How did I get here? Where's Lorne?"

"What do you remember?"

"When we arrived the villagers attacked us. I got knocked out. When I came to I was tied to a pole waiting to be eaten alive. Then that beast attacked and I hit my head on the pole and passed out." She said sheepishly. "Why wasn't I eaten?"

"Apparently it didn't like the taste of you. We arrived just as it launched itself at you and killed it. You escaped with a few scratches."

"Is Lorne okay?"

"He's unscathed." John assured her. "But did something happen?"

"Other than being offered as a human sacrifice?"

"Yeah, he seemed uncharacteristically….crabby."

"That's probably my fault." Jennifer said, immediately guessing that her declaration was the cause of Lorne's bad mood. "I said something I shouldn't."

"Well whatever it was I'm sure he'll get over it. You okay? You look a little…downtrodden." John said, trying to tactfully say miserable.

"I'll be fine."

"Good." John said before noticing Lorne enter the infirmary. "Speak of the devil. I'll leave you to it." With that he walked towards Lorne and said.

"She'll be fine, but she needs rest." The Major nodded in response as he kept walking towards Jennifer.

"Hey." Lorne said walking up to Jennifer's bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Okay. I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"Telling you. I thought we were going to die. If I had thought we would have survived I wouldn't have told you. Can we pretend it never happened? I have already destroyed my friendship with Ronon, I don't want to lose you too."

"No." Lorne said.

"No what?" Jennifer asked, wondering what part of her statement Lorne was responding to.

"No I can't pretend it never happened."

"Oh." Jennifer said looking down at her hands.

"I can't pretend it never happened because I am fed up of ignoring feelings, saying one thing when something else is meant." He said sitting on the side of the bed and taking hold of one of the doctor's hands. "I could have lost you today and you would have never known how I felt because I was too much of a coward to tell you. You see, you're the girl. My girl." He said before leaning forward and gently kissing her.

_**The End**_


End file.
